Today I’m going to offer you a challenge that is both simple and dramatic. It’s a challenge I used to offer years ago to my patients who were interested in change but felt as if they were stuck in a rut or too habit-driven to create it. The truth is we humans are all creatures of habit. My experience tells me that most people live their entire lives with their minds on autopilot, doing the same things and thinking the same thoughts day in and day out. Just think about that for a moment. If you’re like most people, you drive the same roads, see the same people and perform the same routines every day. As a matter of fact, mind-body expert Dr. Deepak Chopra says, “It is estimated that 90% of the thoughts a person has in a day are a literal repeat of the thoughts they had the day before.” With that kind of unconscious repetitive programming, is it any wonder that change is so difficult? Well, if this sounds like you, please listen up.

If you would like to shake up your day a bit, I have a suggestion. If it’s too late to do this today, perhaps tomorrow morning is a good time to try this little experiment. Here is what I would like you to do: Begin the first thing in the morning by changing your routine. Most people do the exact same thing in the exact same order every morning. Instead, get dressed in a different order than you usually do, and consider wearing a different color shirt or blouse than you normally might. Next, take a different route to work, school or wherever you go each day. By changing these two things – your morning routine and drive time – you will initiate change in a very subtle but powerful way. So, if you are ready to start ushering change into your life, I suggest you start by shaking up your day a bit!